


Fraud

by JRW9699



Series: Artificial Heart [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Multiverse, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JRW9699/pseuds/JRW9699
Summary: "The world spins mad. The people are so intoxicated by luxury they have forgotten everything that makes us more than house pets. Reason. Truth. Justice. Freedom. The human spirit is a shattered pane of glass - wrapped in soft velvet and soaked in sugary poison. Evil has seduced mankind. And mankind has shown all the chastity of a three-dollar whore."- The Question
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Oliver Queen, Oliver Queen/Kara Zor-El
Series: Artificial Heart [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412107
Kudos: 6





	Fraud

It ended for Kara and Oliver on a night much like any other.

Late nights and surprises shouldn’t have been a struggle for them. For years they had both lived with those two things featuring far heavier in their lives than they had ever hoped. Somehow, it caught them off guard; a blinding white light bursting through the windows, the pounding of helicopter rotors, the shouting of military organisation.

Kara and Oliver bolted upright in bed and caught each other’s eyes with a look of pure dread.

The Queen Estate usually afforded them all the privacy in the world. It was fenced off, guarded at all potential entry points, far enough outside the city for them to never be caught unawares by uninvited guests. Just that they were able to get so close without either of them being made aware told Oliver and Kara all they needed to know.

Taking her husband’s hands in her own, Kara gave them a reassuring squeeze before they both leapt from the bed. Kara headed for the window as Oliver moved to the bookshelf that sat on the opposite wall.

“What do you see?” Oliver asked as he pressed a concealed button.

The bookshelf slid away to reveal a veritable arsenal along with both of their uniforms. Oliver always insisted that his Green Arrow gear be referred to as armour or a suit, but that never stopped Kara from calling it his uniform. Knowing that he didn’t have long enough to don the full armour, Oliver reached out for his quiver, hooking it over his shoulders before grabbing his bow.

As he turned back to his wife, a spotlight locked onto their window, forcing Oliver to close his eyes, holding a hand up against the glare. Kara had no such issue, squaring her shoulders as she stared into the grounds of the estate. Her fists clenched in frustration as she looked out, using her x-ray vision to assess the situation.

“Helicopters, soldiers, I’m pretty sure I can see a tank heading this way. It’s an attack.”

Oliver managed to open his eyes once again as the spotlight moved away from their window. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip around his bow.

“ _Someone_ sold us out.”

Kara span on her heel, turning to look at her husband with a glare. “He wouldn’t.”

“Who else could have told them, Kara.” Oliver ground out as he headed for the door.

Kara opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it, moving after Oliver quickly. The two kept pace together, quickly heading down the grand staircase that lead to the entrance to the manor. The whole building was reinforced, Kara and Oliver had made significant upgrades to the manor, there was no chance of the army outside getting to them short of blowing a hole in the walls with a tank, which was a distinct possibility.

The couple hardly looked their usual level of power and intimidation, clad as they were in only pyjamas – Oliver shirtless and wearing lounge pants and Kara in a white tank top and pyjama shorts – but nonetheless they were prepared to defend their home.

“This might be it, you know?” Oliver pointed out grimly as they came to a stop a few meters from the front doors.

“Do you always have to be such a pessimist?” Kara asked with a grin, trying to lighten the tense mood a little.

“I’m a realist, Kara, always have been.” Oliver answered.

The couple kept their eyes locked on the doors in front of them, not daring to look at one another in fear that it might somehow jinx them.

“They can’t do this!” Kara burst out, her gaze still focused dead ahead. “They can’t make us their scapegoats, blame us for all of _this_.”

“Yes, they can,” Oliver responded grimly. “It’s their world, Kara, not ours.”

The two slipped into silence again, the only sounds those coming from the army that had amassed outside their home.

“Oliver?” Kara all but whispered his name, her voice cracking a little.

He didn’t answer immediately, silently slipping his hand into her own. “I know.” Oliver voice was no strong than hers.

His answered was punctuated by a pounding on the doors. “Open up!”

The two finally turned to each other, hands joined as they looked into the other’s eyes.

“I love you, Kara, so much.”

More pounding, the volume only increasing.

“I love you too. We’ll get through this, somehow. I know we will.”

They had little nerve to say anymore, instead returning to their stances, readying to take on an army.

“Ready?” Oliver asked.

“Ready.”

Inhaling deeply, Oliver flicked his thumb up on the handle of his bow, activating one of the hidden switches built into it. With a soft whine, the security systems of Queen Manor deactivated, the Nth Metal deadbolts that sealed the front doors unlocking with a ‘ _clunk_ ’. The army outside clearly heard the sound too and the doors were kicked open loudly a swarm of soldiers rushed into the entry hall to the manor. Both Oliver’s and Kara’s eyes flicked over the horde of black clad soldiers who had intruded into their home, trying to count the numbers and plan their attack. They both knew there was only one reason for an army of that size to have been sent, they knew exactly who they were taking on; Supergirl and The Green Arrow.

The soldiers quickly moved to take up their formation; two lines of five grunts filling the room in front of the two heroes. The first line took a knee, allowing both them and the second to aim their weapons. It didn’t take Kara or Oliver long to realise that some of the soldiers were holding modified weapons, some grim part of Oliver realising that they were Kryptonite based. The soldiers called out orders to freeze, to put their hands up, but the couple stood their ground.

“That’s enough!” A voice called out. “Stand down!”

Kara paled, and Oliver gripped his bow tighter, they both knew that voice. The soldiers didn’t hesitate, separating in the middle and moving to stand at the sides with their backs to the walls. A moment later, a figure broke out of the night and into the light of the manor.

“Kal?” Kara gasped.

Superman levitated in the hall, his feet a foot from the ground, his cape somehow billowing despite the lack of wind.

“Kara,” Superman spoke. “You need to come quietly.”

Kara stumbled for a moment, her posture less sharp in her surprise, her mouth shifting as she tried to find the words.

“Kal, what have you done?”

Superman dropped to the ground, still at the opposite end of the hall, only a few steps into the manor.

“What I had to, Kara.” His voice was firm.

Oliver snarled. The kind of snarl that belonged in an animal and not a man. The kind of snarl that started deep in the back of one throat and ended up in someone else’s. His gaze hardened, teeth grinding in frustration. The two cousins spoke to one another as Oliver's anger grew, their words slipped past him, and when Oliver saw the heartbreak on Kara’s face his resolve snapped.

“You sanctimonious hypocrite.” He cut over Superman, and the two Kryptonian’s turned to face him. “You want to pretend you’re still helping, but all you’re doing is bending the knee to a bunch of power grabbing fearmongers.”

Superman’s face twisted into a scowl as he started Oliver down.

“This is on you, Oliver.” He glared. “Hiding in the shadows and breaking every law that doesn’t suit you. _You_ make them terrified of all of us.”

“At least I don’t betray my family.”

Superman gritted his teeth an inched forward. “We made a deal. Barry’s gone into retirement, J’onn left the planet. It’s their world and they won’t stand for us anymore.”

Clark wasn’t wrong. The Justice League had been on delicate grounds with the governments of the world for a long time. After a few too many invasions, too many civilian lives lost and too much damage, people had begun crying out for sanctions to be made against them. One by one the heroes had succumbed to the pressure and returned to their families until the Justice League was hardly larger than its founders. Then, the president had offered them a deal. Go into retirement or be arrested. Clark had been the only one offered an exception, the United States government had given him an ultimatum, work for them or have his identity outed. He hadn’t hesitated to take the offer.

Kara and Oliver had been the only ones to continue fighting, and it had finally caught up to them.

“Last warning,” Superman stood his ground. “Come quietly and I promise you’ll be treated fairly.”

Oliver sucked in a breath. They couldn’t fight Superman and an army, they both knew it. Looking across to Kara, Oliver found her looking back. The look they shared was one that spoke volumes. Kara offered him an almost imperceptible shake of the head, knowing what he had planned. Their options were limited, they couldn’t both make it out of the manor. Oliver had planned for that exact eventuality, ever since Clark had accepted the offer from the president.

Sucking in a breath, Oliver reached to his quiver. With a fluid motion, Oliver whipped his arm around and sent an Nth Metal tipped flechette speeding towards Superman. The arrow buried itself and Kal’s shoulder and, as Kal recoiled in surprise and pain, Oliver took off towards the Kryptonian immediately. He knew he couldn’t beat Superman, Oliver didn’t attempt to delude himself into thinking that, he only had to create enough noise. No more than an arm’s reach from Kal, Oliver swung his bow around, striking the Kryptonian across the jaw. Before Kal reacted, Oliver drew another arrow, tipped in low grade kryptonite, and slashed a line across Kal’s right arm. Kal recovered quickly, snatching the bow from Oliver's hand and throwing it across the room. Anger burning in his eyes, Kal grabbed Oliver's shooting arm, fingers clenching tight enough Oliver was sure that his bones were a fraction of a second from breaking.

Across the room, Kara was frozen. She knew Oliver's plan, exactly what he was doing and why. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. The faint sound of cracking bone snapped Kara’s attention back to her husband.

“Kara…run.” He whispered, quiet enough that only her and Kal were able to hear it.

Kal’s gaze snapped up from Oliver and to his cousin. He tried to take a step towards her and release his grasp on Oliver but before he could make his move Oliver acted. His free hand reached down to the pouch he had fixed around his waist, pulled out a small plastic ball and crushed it in his hand. The plastic shattered in two and released a green gas quickly filled the air. Synthesised Kryptonite.

Kara’s eyes went wide as Kal dropped his vice-like grip on Oliver's arm. He hadn’t wanted to use the gas, but Oliver knew that Kara stood a better chance of escaping than he did. The gas would force her to run. Kara staggered back a few paces, trying to keep out of the reach of the rapidly spreading gas.

“Go!” Oliver shouted at her.

Kara bit her lip hard for a moment. “I’m coming to find you.”

Kara bent her knees, the floor splintering under the feet as she took off, shattered through the ceiling of the mansion and quickly disappeared from sight. A wicked grin overtook Oliver's lips as he turned to look back at Kal, who had manged to stop the racking cough that the Kryptonite gas had caused. Oliver could tell the gas hadn’t fully left the Kryptonian’s lungs.

He swung around and caught Kal with a left hook.

The soldiers responded quickly, all re-aiming their weapons at him.

“No!” Kal snapped, standing tall again. “Where did she go, Oliver?”

Oliver's grin only grew. He swung at Kal again, but that time he was ready for it. Kal ducked under the punch, and moved to counterattack, but Oliver was quicker. The archer kicked out backwards and caught Kal in the gut, forcing him to double over, and followed it up by spinning on a heel and slamming a right hook into his temple. The amount of resistance Oliver felt under his knuckles confirmed that the Kryptonite had all but worn off.

“We could have changed the world,” Oliver growled at him. “Now look at us. I’ve become a political liability, and you’re a joke.”

Kal glared at him, eyes beginning to glow red. Even if he could already see the outcome, Oliver's grin didn’t drop. As Kal lunged forward, Oliver threw out another right handed jab. With superpowered reflexes, Kal caught Oliver's wrist with one hand, planted the other palm firm against his collar bone, and pulled hard.

Kal finally proving Oliver right was almost worth the pain.


End file.
